Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
We all know that newspapers and TV news can be super informative and helpful, but we also know the news can be over-the-top, reactionary, and a little bit silly sometimes. This is definitely how the kids in Mr. Ward's class see it.
Tyrone is probably the biggest critic of news programs. He, Steve, and Wesley do a free-style poem about the negative images that get shown on local news stations:
News at Five has got you thinking I was born to steal.
Blacks are menacing, they say, as if their talk's for real […]
I have seen the News at Five and here is what I find:
There ain't nothing good on teens, don't matter where you look.
Black or white, screen time is strictly for the teenage crook.
Hear them tell it, drugs and violence is our only song.
For myself, I think it's time that we all prove them wrong […]
Listen up, my peeps, because I've got the 411.
News at Five is infotainment. That's the game they run,
So forget about those gray heads with their slanted views.
Come tomorrow, we will be the ones to write the news. (62.1, 3, 5)
Tyrone is mostly concerned with the way kids from their neighborhood are portrayed. Black and Latino kids are made out to be drug dealers and criminals, and this affects the way people out in the world look at them. It's a huge bummer. Understandably, Tyrone isn't too excited about people seeing him as a thief or a junkie.
But even though Mr. Ward's students are concerned about negative images in the media, they are also super excited to be featured in an article in the newspaper:
Mr. Ward brought the paper to school and held it up for the class to see. "Look at this headline," he said. "'Student Poets Bloom in the Bronx.' That's you guys!"
I don't know who was prouder, us or Mr. Ward.
He brought a few extra copies of the paper for the class, and passed them around for anyone who hadn't seen it. I'd already bought my own, though. I had to, 'specially since they quoted what I said about how our poetry gives us a release, how it helps us relate to one another. They said our stuff was "energetic" and "rich in positive social messages." My moms will frame this puppy, for sure. (68.2-4)
Tyrone is especially psyched about the article. He knows that people only end up in the news for doing really notable things. He's used to seeing kids like him on for being juvenile delinquents, so he's glad to see a story about the awesome things he and his friends are doing. For once kids from his community are getting some positive coverage.
The news is a dominant source of information, and information is power. Tyrone and his friends are aware of how the world sees them, and while they can't control what's shown on the news, they can provide a positive example for the world. In their interactions with the newspaper reporter, they try to prove the world wrong, doing their part to change the negative narrative about kids in the Bronx. They're not a bunch of criminals—they're a bunch of thoughtful, open-minded, creative poets.